(NewsNation) — A 23-year-old Minnesota man is accused of killing his 30-year-old sister and her unborn child last week, according to Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena.
In a news release, Keena wrote that Jack Joseph Ball of Lakeville has been charged with two counts of murder in connection to the death of Bethany Ann Israel, who authorities say was 17-18 weeks pregnant.
“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific — words can’t describe what our law enforcement partners encountered during the investigation,” Keena said in a statement.
A criminal complaint states family members had been concerned about Israel after she didn’t come home after having dinner with Ball on the evening of Thursday, May 23.
When a relative drove to Ball’s residence, they saw him quickly leaving the scene, the complaint says. After going in the house, the family member saw a “significant amount of blood,” prompting them to contact the Lakeville Police Department, which responded at around 11 p.m. Police Officers found bloody knives, a saw and hatchet, as well as several dismembered body parts believed to be Israel’s.
The family member said Ball may have gone to a cemetery in Rosemount, as they had relatives buried there. While in Rosemount to find Ball, police got a 911 call from a resident who said they saw a man on a home security camera putting what they thought was a body part on their step, per the affidavit.
Officers went to the area and found Ball with what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury to his neck in the backyard of a neighboring home, where he was taken into custody. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office found Israel’s death to be due to “complex homicidal violence.”
As they went through the crime scene, investigators with the Lakeville Police Department discovered several journals and other written works they said belonged to Ball.
According to police, Ball wrote in one piece of writing that he was angry his sister was pregnant and “no longer innocent.”
Ball appeared in Dakota County District Court on Tuesday, where his bail was set at $2 million without conditions and $1 million with conditions.
Once he is medically cleared, the news release said, he will be transferred to the Dakota County Jail. His next court date is 1:30 p.m. June 10.